The essay “On the Abuse of Democracy” ---- Matija Beckovic There’s a new catchword: the “abuse” of democracy. In spite of all my efforts to solve this riddle, I have been unsuccessful. How can democracy be abused? Killing a man is not an abuse of democracy, but a criminal act. The same goes for stealing. An antistate act is not an abuse of democracy, but, rather, a crime with known legal consequences. What, then, could the “abuse” of democracy mean? Walking in the rain without an umbrella, being a vegetarian, a miser, being illiterate, hungry, moody, irritable? Every human has a right to be these. They can’t be called an abuse of democracy. Standing on one foot, talking nonsense, being without talent, writing bad books, writing bad poems — all these are the prerogatives of a free man. No, they’re not an abuse of democracy, either. What sort of democracy is it that no one can abuse? Some believe democracy to be a “void” between two clear conditions. In that void one can smoke, think of something else, write poems, make love. Is there too much smoking, too much thinking, too much writing, and too much love-making? Are these an abuse of democracy? There are people who can do without democracy altogether. They believe democracy to be a luxury, affectation, fad, the right of every nonentity to think, desire, and love. As they see it, the current democracy has nothing to do with that great democracy of the remote future. No all are entitled to democracy yet. Real democracy is anarchy. Democracy is not for everyone. Democracy should be kept for holidays, anniversaries, and special achievements. We must be sparing with democracy. So as not to use it up. Democracy is for books, programs, shopwindows, and museums. Each use of democracy is an abuse. Democracy should not be sullied by hands or dragged along in the streets. It should not be introduced in substandard flats and underdeveloped areas. It’s a sacred word, an abstract noun — no man is worthy of democracy. Or freedom, for that matter. The people were so eager for freedom that they wanted to eat it, to satisfy their individual appetites. They celebrated it, loved it, hated it, flirted with it, and played with it. They gave it the most unusual names. And then came the grave pronouncement: Democracy is being abused. Democracy exists, and it has laws to protect it. Everyone can distinguish between freedom and crime. It’s easy to tell where freedom stops and crime begins. Outside the law, democracy needs no keepers. Laws do no dictate freedom and democracy; they make it possible. The privilege of some has become the right of all. The old cliches — the voice of the people, the will of the people, the interests of the people — have become real. Democracy is chaste. Healthy. Innocent. It serves nothing but democracy. Thus it is impossible to abuse democracy. The abuse of democracy is the favorite topic of those who would abuse it most gladly. Of those who do not recognize views, tastes, moods, and interests outside their own. Can there be too much democracy? Well, there are people who still think that too much democracy inevitably leads to catastrophe. Which can be delayed by the old injustice, by crime, by wars, and by bombs. All this — for the good of humanity. youtube/watch?v=17T6FVuWTec
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:41:09 +0000
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